Outgoing Police Commissioner Mr. Lennett (Lennie) Edwards yesterday saluted the officers who stood beside him -- and then fired a stinging parting shot at Government.

And the man particularly in his line of fire was Home Affairs Minister the Hon. Irving Pearman.

He accused Mr. Pearman of making him a scapegoat for the Police's problems.

The Minister had been backed into a corner by the political storm over the hiring of Britain's Mr. Colin Coxall to fill the job of Commissioner, claimed Mr. Edwards, who has been fighting a serious illness.

"I was the only man left for him to blame.'' He added: "Mr. John Irving Pearman should most certainly know that Mr. Lennie Edwards was not responsible for the mess the Minister got himself in.'' Mr. Edwards' attack, however, went wider than just Mr. Pearman.

He said the Police service had too often over the years been turned into a "political football'' by Government.

"I was very saddened by the way the Police force was kicked about...It saddened me that politicians should stoop that low.'' Mr. Edwards also linked the increase in crime with manpower reductions brought on by Government's severe Budget cuts.

These had hit the Police hard, and damaged morale.

Mr. Edwards officially steps down from his post on Thursday after nearly 35 years with the service.

Last night Mr. Edwards' colleagues gathered at the Police Recreation Club to give him a rousing send-off.

It was nearly three years ago that Mr. Edwards became only the second black Bermudian to be promoted to the top post.

Ill health, however, forced him overseas for treatment late last year, and Mr.

Alex Forbes took over as acting Commissioner.

Mr. Coxall, whose new deputy will be British officer Mr. Michael Mylod, is expected on the Island within days.

Yesterday Mr. Edwards, in his final Press conference, appeared hopeful about the prognosis for his illness.

"The light at the end of the tunnel is quite bright. I have had the better part of the treatment, and I feel quite upbeat about it.'' Mr. Edwards believed another four or five more months of treatment lay ahead.

"I have had some great support from a lot of people, and I am so indebted to all of the men and women of the Bermuda Police Force for the way they have coped over the last few difficult months.'' He said his officers had put their "shoulders to the grindstone''.

Mr. Edwards also praised the way his wife had stood beside him during his fight against a "killer disease''.

And he applauded Mr. Forbes, who had agreed to delay his retirement, originally slated for September 1994.

He said Mr. Forbes had done a tremendous job for the Police, most recently as acting Commissioner.

Mr. Edwards, however, was far less complimentary about Government, particularly Mr. Pearman.

"The Minister got himself into a lot of trouble with the appointment of a successor,'' he said, adding Mr. Pearman had wriggled to get himself off an awkward political hook.

Mr. Edwards said he was confused by some of the political statements about his leadership of the Police. They appeared to contradict each other.

"I can't one moment be a man of vision, a man who has done a great job,and a man who would take the Police service into the year 2,000, and then the next moment be a man who was to blame for the mess we are in.'' Mr. Edwards highlighted the problems faced by the Police over the last few years.

He said Police manpower was reduced from 489 to 432 following Government Budget cuts.

That started to erode the effectiveness of the Police, which could be attributed to a sudden surge in crime.

Mr. Edwards stressed, however, he was not making a direct criticism of Government. "I don't run their Budget, but we begged and cajoled Government to reconsider.'' Mr. Edwards highlighted an apparent difference in the way Customs was treated, which had been kept well equipped.

Despite being "handcuffed and severely hampered'', however, the Police had done a good job.

"I have enjoyed thoroughly serving the Bermudian people.'' Mr. Edwards said one of the highlights of his time at the helm of the Police was the report on Bermuda's criminal justice system by English Judge Stephen Tumim.

An undoubted low point, however, was the enforced loss of 25 expatriate Police officers.

Fortunately, many of them had since been rehired.

As for the future, Mr. Edwards said he hoped to continue making a useful contribution to the community.

"Maybe even in politics,'' he laughed.